Thursday 7 October 2021

Book ~ "The Perfect Family" (2021) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Thomas and Viv Adler are the envy of their neighbors: attractive, successful, with well-mannered children and a beautifully restored home.

Until one morning, when they wake up to find their porch has been pelted with eggs. It’s a prank, Thomas insists; the work of a few out-of-control kids. But when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn and their car’s tires are punctured, the family begins to worry. Surveillance cameras show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies. And the police dismiss the attacks, insisting they’re just the work of bored teenagers. 

Unable to identify the perpetrators, the Adlers are helpless as the assaults escalate into violence, and worse. And each new violation brings with it a growing fear. Because everyone in the Adler family is keeping a secret - not just from the outside world but from each other. And secrets can be very dangerous.

Thomas is a real estate agent and Viv is a stager/designer.  They seem to have the perfect life and appearances are important to them.  When their son, Eli, returns home from his first year of university, he says he's not going back but doesn't say why.  Thomas and Viv figure they will be able to pressure him into going back but Eli knows that's not going to work.  Tarryn is their teenage daughter ... she's moody and friendless and spends most of her time in her bedroom in the basement.

The family begins being harassed ... it starts with eggs being tossed at the house and quickly escalates to tires being slashed and smoke bombs and more.  Thomas and Viv contact the police, who dismiss it as childish pranks.  But the family knows this isn't the case and all four have secrets that would be the cause of these attacks but they can't reveal them to each other.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and it moved at a quick pace.  It is written in first person perspective alternating between Thomas, Viv, Eli and Tarryn (the chapters are labeled so you know whose voice it is).  I was buying the "whodunnit" but thought there were still some incidents not explained so those loops weren't closed enough for me.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

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